So it is very difficult with these rascals. Very, very difficult. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja’s Guru Mahārāja, Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, they were not preaching. They were disgusted that “I have no power to reform these rascals. Better don’t bother. Let them go to hell. At least… Let them.” But still, my Guru Mahārāja  preached. He was so kind. And he asked us also to do the same thing. But it is very, very difficult job. People are so rascal, so condemned, so  sinful. It is very, very difficult to raise them. Very difficult. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ [SB 1.1.10]. So only those who are very fortunate, they will understand that “I am eternal,” avināśi, “I am imperishable. I am put into this condition of perishable  condition due to this my material body.” So how to get out of it? They  have no ambition. Just like dogs and cats. Simply sense gratification.  Kṛṣṇa is so kind, how, very clearly explains. You try to understand what is the soul.

It doesn’t require even literacy. There are many  great personalities, saintly persons. My Guru Mahārāja’s Guru Mahārāja,  he was illiterate, Gaura Kiśora dāsa  Bābājī Mahārāja. He could not sign even his name. But my Guru Mahārāja  was the best scholar of his time. He accepted him as guru. So this is  the process, that yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. That is the business of every Indian.

And you will be surprised that my Guru Mahārāja’s spiritual master was Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. He was completely illiterate. He did not know how to sign, and my spiritual master was the most learned man of his age. He accepted that guru who was completely illiterate. But when he would  speak, that Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he would speak with all Vedic references.

It is a great science. It is not a bluff, that  anybody can manufacture something spiritual. No. It is a great science.  One has to study the science from bona fide spiritual master. Study  means… It does not mean that one has to be very highly qualified in  academic education. Spiritual science does not depend on one’s academic  education. You’ll be surprised to know that my grand-spiritual master,  my spiritual master’s spiritual master, he was illiterate. And my  spiritual master was the learned, greatest learned scholar of his age.  Now, how he became the disciple of an illiterate man? So, but that Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja… His name was Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, my spiritual master’s spiritual master, my  grand-spiritual master. So he was illiterate, but when you asked him  some question, some intricate question of spiritual significance, he’ll  answer you immediately very nicely. That is realization.

Actually, you’ll find that our Kīrtanānanda Swami  was in Vṛndāvana. There are many devotees. There are many devotees;  they’re illiterate practically. They do not know what is Vedānta-sūtra. But still, by their sincere devotional service they’re very much elevated. What to speak of others, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he was illiterate. He could not sign even his  name. But he was so spiritually elevated that my spiritual master, who  was the topmost scholar of his time, he accepted him as spiritual  master. What is the reason? The reason is that this transcendental  science does not depend on academic qualification. It is, it is not that because one is very, academically very qualified, he’ll become a  devotee. No. The secret is… That is given in the Vedic literatures:  [SB 5.18.12] yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā

So one may question that “Your Guru Mahārāja was  sitting on the ground in a municipal lavatory…” Because he did not  like that “Anybody should disturb me,” he was sitting by the side of  municipal lavatory. Because so many people will come for darśana and āśīrvāda, he did not like it. He did not like to be disturbed by these āśīrvāda. You see? They will not take any spiritual instruction. They are  thinking that “Here is a saintly person, and he’ll bless me. So I have  got now one thousand. I’ll take ten thousand.” That’s all. Therefore  they come. They do not come to take any spiritual instruction. Therefore it is botheration. It is botheration. So Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja did not like this botheration. He was sitting by  the side of a municipal lavatory so that “These rascal will not come out of the bad smell and will not disturb me.” You see? So Mahārāja  Mahīndrānandī, he was one of the… He had organized one saṅkīrtana festival. So he came to Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja and to invite him. So after many requests, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja said, “Mahārāja, you have got many tenants. You  are Mahārāja. Why you are trying to make me your tenant? Because you are rich man, you also want… As your tenants carries your order, so you  also want me. So why you are…?” “No, sir, no. You are my lord.  Whatever you say, I shall carry out.” “Will you carry out?” “Why not?”  So he said that “Don’t go home. Sit down here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.” He  fled away. (laughter) You see. So he was very humorous also, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī, that “If you are so obedient, then I ask you, ‘Don’t go home. Better give up your dress and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa here.

If you want to know positively, what is  God, then we should take lesson from a self-realized soul who has  understood, who has seen. Jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ [Bg. 4.34]. Just like here it is tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ. So tattvam, the truth, so one must have seen the truth, realized the truth. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. That is guru. Means one who has seen the truth. How he has seen the truth? Through the paramparā  system. Kṛṣṇa said this, and then Brahmā said the same thing, then  Nārada said the same thing, Vyāsadeva said the same thing, and then  disciplic succession, Madhvācārya, Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī, Lord  Caitanya, Ṣaḍ-gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya,  Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. In this way.  Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Then we are speaking. The same  thing. Not that “Because we are modernized… Your modern science has  changed.” Nothing has changed.
Lectures : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures : Adi-lila: Lectures : Adi 7: Lectures : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta,  Adi-lila 7.91-2 — Vrndavana, March 13, 1974 : 740313CC.VRN :  So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a great scholar.  There is no doubt of it. But in spite of His becoming a great scholar,  He is presenting Himself as a great fool. He says, “My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a great…” Even one is very great scholar, he has to abide by the  decision of his spiritual master. Even one is very great scholar, and if his spiritual master says that “You are a great fool,” he should accept it. This is called full surrender. For example, I’ll give you a  practical… My Guru Mahārāja was very great scholar, and his Guru  Mahārāja, from literary point of view, he could not even sign his name, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura asked Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to accept Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja as his, as his spiritual master, that “You go and take your initiation from Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja.” So he thought that “I am a great scholar, and I  am son of a magistrate, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and great Vaiṣṇava. He’ll  be very much pleased to accept me.” Of course, he was very much pleased. But in the beginning he refused. He refused. Because… Of course, that is only show. He was not proud. Just to teach us. Bhaktisiddhānta  Sarasvatī explained that “I was little proud. So I was thrice refused by Guru Mahārāja,” although he was the only disciple. So the scholarship  is not a qualification of becoming devotee. That is Caitanya  Mahāprabhu’s teaching. Scholarship may help, but it is not necessary.  Real necessary is that one should be humble and meek and follow the  instruction of the spiritual master. This is real qualification.

So we are not interested now about calculation the  perfect knowledge. This perfect knowledge comes from God, or Kṛṣṇa, and  it is distributed by paramparā system, by disciplic succession.  The example is just there, a mango tree. On the top of the mango tree  there is a very ripened fruit, and that fruit has to be tasted. So if I  drop the fruit from up, it will be lost. Therefore it is handed over,  after one, after one, after… Then it comes down. So all Vedic process  of knowledge is taking from the authority. And it comes down through  disciplic succession. Just like I have already explained, Kṛṣṇa gives  the knowledge, perfect knowledge, to Brahmā, and Brahmā gives the  knowledge to Nārada. Nārada gives the knowledge to Vyāsa. Vyāsa gives  the knowledge to Madhvācārya. Madhvācārya gives the knowledge to his  disciplic succession, later on, to Mādhavendra Purī. Mādhavendra Purī  gives that knowledge to Īśvara Purī. Īśvara Purī gives that knowledge to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Caitanya. He delivers that knowledge to His  immediate disciples, six Gosvāmīs. The six Gosvāmīs delivers the  knowledge to Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Jīva Gosvāmī. Then Kavirāja Gosvāmī, then Viśvanātha Cakravartī, then Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, then Bhaktivinoda  Ṭhākura, then Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, then my spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Then we are distributing the same knowledge.

Prabhupāda: From  Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Yes. The Six Gosvāmīs: Rūpa, Sanātana, Bhaṭṭa  Raghunātha, Śrī Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, Dāsa Raghunātha. The Six Gosvāmīs.  Then from the Gosvāmīs there is Śrīnivāsācārya. Then from him, I think,  this Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, and then Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Then  Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, then Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, then  Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, then Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, then my Guru Mahārāja. Next we are. I am the tenth or eleventh, eleventh from Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: [break] …on your appearance day and Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Gaura Kiśora’s we should observe half-day fast. I have a question that on all the other auspicious days, just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and others, should we also observe half-day fas

My Guru Maharaja was in the 10th generation from  Lord Caitanya. We are 11th from Lord Caitanya. The disciplic succession  is as follows: 1. Sri Krishna, 2. Brahma, 3. Narada, 4. Vyasa, 5.  Madhva, 6. Padmanabha, 7. Nrihari, 8. Madhava, 9. Akshobhya, 10.  Jayatirtha, 11. Jnanasindhu, 12. Purusottama, 13. Vidyanidhi, 14.  Rajendra, 15. Jayadharma, 16. Purusottama, 17. Vyasatirtha, 18.  Laksmipati, 19. Madhavendra Puri, 20. Isvara Puri (Advaita, Nityananda)  21. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, 22. (Svarupa, Sanatana) Rupa, 23.(Jiva)  Raghunath, 24. Krishna dasa, 25. Narottama, 26. Visvanatha, 27.  (Baladeva.) Jagannatha, 28. (Bhaktivinode) Gaura-kisora, 29. Srila  Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Sri Barshabhanavidayitadas, 30. Sri Srimad  Bhaktivedanta.